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by LemonCupcakes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AroAce Charlie Weasley, Aromantic Charlie Weasley, Aromanticism, Asexual Charlie Weasley, Asexuality, Bi Tonks, Coming Out, Dragons, Family, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Introspection, bi/ace solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonCupcakes/pseuds/LemonCupcakes
Summary: Charlie doesn't fall in love. Slowly, he learns to accept that.A fic about friendship and dragons.
Relationships: Charlie Weasley & Molly Weasley, Charlie Weasley & Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 6
Kudos: 90





	1. Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note for clarity: This Charlie is aroace, but as this story is set in the Wizarding World in the 80s, he wouldn't have heard of the aro spectrum yet, so he just calls himself asexual.
> 
> Also, I stole the chapter titles from the prompt list for AroWriMo, which was in February. Please check them out on Tumblr, there's a lot of amazing writing on there.
> 
> Happy Pride! I hope you enjoy! 💜🖤💚🖤

_ October, 1986 _

The castle was quiet this time of night.

Charlie supposed he should be in bed; he already had enough detentions to deal with. At least as a prefect he could use the excuse of having patrols if anyone questioned him.

But for the third night in a row he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He’d barely started his fifth year and OWLs were already stressing him out. With every professor setting four times the usual amount of homework, he had thought it was just normal exam stress. But deep down, he knew that wasn’t the only thing bothering him.

Charlie breathed in deeply, and looked out at the school grounds. The Astronomy Tower always had the best view. From here, he could see past the greenhouses, and Gryffindor Tower, and Hagrid’s hut, all the way to the Forbidden Forest, barely visible in the moonlight. Charlie smiled as he remembered the first time he had gone there with his friends. They had been frightened Second Years back then, only sneaking in on a dare. How different they all were now.

Or… no, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t all of them who were different. Charlie didn’t think he’d changed much at all. It was all his friends who had changed. Ever since Jacob had confessed to him in Third Year that he thought Amy was really pretty, things had been different. That was when all his friends’ romantic dramas started. Two of his housemates started dating and broke up three weeks later. The Hogsmeade visits began causing a lot more giggling and blushing among his yearmates as everyone rushed to get a date for Valentines’ Day. To Charlie it felt like they had all gone away for the summer completely normal, and when they got back for the new school year, everyone around him had gone crazy.

Not wanting to be the odd one out, Charlie had kept his opinions to himself. Privately, he thought they were all way too young to start dating. Hadn’t his mum warned him not to start dating before fifth year at the earliest? Why was everyone in such a hurry?

Everyone either was dating someone, really wanted to date someone, or had just broken up with someone. Even Bill had had three separate girlfriends last year. And Jacob and Amy had been together since May already.

Some brave girls had even tried to ask Charlie out, but he’d always turned them down as soon as he realised what it was they were asking, trying to word things to be as nice as possible.

Anyway, it was the beginning of fifth year now. It looked like his self-imposed deadline had arrived. And still, nothing had changed.

So maybe… it wasn’t everyone else there was something wrong with? If it was this normal to date and want to shag people, maybe...  _ he  _ was the problem?

Charlie sighed, annoyed at himself. What the hell was he doing? Sitting in the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night like an idiot. He rolled his eyes at himself and got up.

Thinking about all this stuff all night wasn’t going to help anyone. No wonder the whole dating thing wasn’t working out if  _ this  _ was how he was acting. No problems ever got solved by sitting and thinking about stuff. He was a Gryffindor, for Merlin’s sake!

He just needed to try harder to fit in. He was just going to say yes to the next person who asked him out and see what happened. Surely everything would work out then. Everything would be okay.

Decision made, Charlie took a deep breath and turned on his heel, making his way back to Gryffindor Tower and his bed. 

-

The next morning, Charlie was a little groggy, almost falling asleep on his toast at breakfast. Jacob helpfully poked his ribs in warning and Charlie blinked hard, trying to stay awake.

“You okay, dude?” Jacob asked, looking amused.

“Yeah,” Charlie answered mid-yawn. “Don’t worry about it.” 

His friends rolled their eyes at his antics, already changing the topic.

Charlie reached across the table for some strawberry jam, tuning the conversation around him out again.

“Come on,” he said once he’d finished eating. “We’re going to be late for Herbology!”

When they arrived at the Greenhouses, Tonks and Amy were already waiting for them.

“Hi,” Amy said chirpily, moving to allow Jacob to work as her partner. The two of them immediately disappeared into their own happy bubble, leaving Tonks and Charlie to fend for themselves.

Tonks rolled their eyes at them and grinned at Charlie. “Guess you’re stuck with me then,” she said, winking at him. 

Charlie grinned back. He hardly ever got to spend time with Tonks as it was, being in different houses. He’d never been a big fan of Herbology, but he couldn’t deny that getting to spend this class at least with the Hufflepuffs was a big plus.

Before they could start chatting, however, Professor Sprout called for quiet and they all turned their attention to the front. 

As Sprout started the lesson, Charlie was acutely aware of Tonks next to him. She seemed like she was in a really strange mood. She kept shooting him weird glances every now and then, as though she was gathering the courage to say something. Charlie tried his best to ignore her and focus on the task in front of him.

After 90 minutes of this unusual dynamic, the lesson was finally over and they all filed out. Tonks pulled Charlie’s sleeve and he turned, still very confused by her behaviour. 

She bit her lip, looking uncharacteristically shy, and nodded towards the side of the greenhouse. He followed her away from the others, now a little worried.

“Is everything okay?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, of course!” Tonks said a little too quickly.

She frowned and looked down.

“Um…” She shook her head quickly. “Merlin, look at me, what am I doing?” she muttered. Her hair was turning pink in embarrassment.

She took a deep breath and started again. “Okay, before I say this I just want you to know that it’s completely fine to say no, I’m not expecting anything, I just -” she exhaled in frustration.

Charlie was starting to get scared. “Can’t you just tell me whatever this is? You’re freaking me out a little,” he said.

“Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade with me?” she asked very quickly.

Charlie blinked. “What?”

“Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade with me?” she repeated, now a bit more slowly. “Like, on a date?”

“Oh.” 

Her face sank. “Yeah, I thought so,” she said. She smiled sadly. “It’s okay, really, don’t worry about it -”

“Wait no, I -” Charlie tried to take it back, panicking. 

She looked at him, frowning. “You mean you  _ do  _ want to?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said, forcing a natural looking smile onto his face. “Of course I’d like to go to Hogsmeade with you.”

“Oh,” she said, brightening again, her hair turning back to its usual lime green colour. “Cool.”

“Cool,” Charlie agreed, not really knowing what else to say.

“So… See you this weekend?”

“Yeah, see you this weekend.”

She smiled at him, nodded a couple of times in disbelief and walked off, looking relieved.

Charlie watched her leave, a knot in his stomach.

There was an uncomfortable tingling in the back of his neck. He didn’t know how to feel. The awful realisation came slowly. Why had he done that? This wasn’t right. He  _ knew _ it wasn’t right.

He gritted his teeth, tapping his fingers against his side. What had he just done? Merlin, why the hell had he said yes?

“Tonks!” he shouted before he could talk himself out of it.

She turned, already halfway up the hill. “What?”

He started jogging to catch up with her.

“I’m really sorry, this isn’t…” he panted. “I don’t know why I said yes. I’m  _ really  _ sorry.”

Tonks frowned, looking confused. “So you don’t want to go out with me?”

Charlie sighed. He felt awful. “No I don’t. I’m really sorry, I just. I don’t… like you in that way? You’re amazing, but I don’t--”

“It’s okay,” she started to say, but he interrupted her.

“And I really don’t want to lead you on, and this...” He gestured helplessly between them, cringing at his own words even as they were leaving his mouth. What the hell was he even saying?

He looked at her a little pleadingly, hoping she’d just get it.

She shook her head. “Really, it’s okay! I just had to ask, at least once. Just in case, you know? But I already thought you maybe wouldn’t want to.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” Tonks said brightly, not looking heartbroken in the slightest. “Really, don’t worry about it! I’m not devastated by this or anything. There are other fish in the sea and all that.”

“What?” he snorted, not sure if he’d heard her correctly.

“Muggle phrase,” she explained.

He laughed, rolling his eyes fondly. He’d never understand all her muggle references anyway.

She smiled at him. “Friends?” she held out a hand.

“Friends,” he agreed, shaking her hand.

They both nodded in mock seriousness, glad the weird tension was broken.

Charlie couldn’t stop grinning. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

“Walk up to the Great Hall together?” Tonks nodded up towards the castle.

“Sure.”

As they walked up the hill, Charlie felt an overwhelming rush of relief. He’d been terrified for ages about romantic drama breaking up their friendship group. But considering just how much of a mess he’d been at his first real confrontation, he thought it had gone surprisingly well. He really didn’t deserve a friend like Tonks. As much as he liked to make fun of Hufflepuffs, he couldn’t deny that he wouldn’t have been close to that level of patience and acceptance in his reaction if the roles had been reversed.

He thought about everything that had been plaguing him for months now. Even last night, he’d stayed up all night worrying. Sure, maybe he wasn’t normal, but then again… who was? Even if he wasn’t just a “late bloomer”, even if those feelings never came, he’d still be okay.

Everything would be okay, he repeated his mantra. For the first time, he felt like he was starting to believe it.


	2. Belonging

_ September, 1989 _

“Hey, watch out!” Charlie yelled. His colleague Vicky only just managed to duck before the Horntail lashed out.

“We need to get it to calm down! Distract it somehow!” she screamed back, barely audible over the dragon’s roars.

Charlie thought fast, looking around frantically for something that could help.

There was a huge boulder over to the side. Well, Charlie thought, resigned to his fate, better that than nothing. He pulled out his wand and said the first spell he could think of.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

The boulder flew into the air and hovered for a while.

The dragon turned her head in confusion, looking for the source of the disturbance. When she saw the rock, she headed towards it, her tail swinging wildly behind her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw Vicky slowly sink to the ground. 

Charlie let the boulder fall back down as he ran towards Vicky. She looked a little shaken, but otherwise fine.

“Are you okay?” he asked, heart racing, checking her for any injuries.

She nodded grimly, still keeping the dragon in her line of sight. “I’m fine,” she told him, already starting to get up. 

She winced as she tried to put weight on her left leg, dangerously close to buckling. Charlie was at her side immediately, supporting her as they made their way out of the enclosure, locking the gate behind them.

She wordlessly accepted his help, still grunting in pain.

Stumbling, they made their way to the trainees’ hut. Thankfully, a bed in the corner was free and closing her eyes in relief, Vicky quickly sat down.

“Okay, I’m no expert, but it looks like your ankle could be broken or something,” Charlie said, trying not to panic. He’d only been at the sanctuary for three weeks, and he’d already endangered a colleague?

He took out his wand, racking his brains for a spell that might help.

“Don’t you dare try magic on this,” Vicky said through gritted teeth. “Not if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Right, sorry!” he quickly pocketed his wand again. “Um…” he looked around uncertainly. With relief, he saw Noah, one of the trainers, walk in for his lunch break.

“Noah!” he shouted. “Vicky’s hurt!”

He came over immediately, looking her up and down.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked, crouching in front of the bed.

She pointed to her ankle.

“Ah,” Noah nodded knowingly. He carefully took off her boot. Vicky hissed slightly but didn’t pull away.

Charlie watched Noah tap his want to her foot, muttering a spell underneath his breath. 

“We couldn’t keep the Horntail calm,” he explained. “I tried to distract her, but then Vicky got hit by the tail.”

“You did a good job bringing her here straight away,” Noah told him reassuringly. “That feel better?” he asked Vicky, bringing her foot to the ground.

She tested it out, gingerly putting weight on it. She sighed in relief. “It’s fine. No pain.” She said, her face breaking out in a rare smile.

“Good,” Noah smiled back. “Now, why don’t you two grab something to eat and join the others? You were already in danger of working through your lunch break!”

Charlie hadn’t eaten in hours. He and Vicky exchanged an excited glance and got up simultaneously. 

When they arrived in the lunchroom, they saw that the other fifteen trainees were already in the middle of their meal, talking loudly over each other. Charlie and Vicky grabbed plates and food from the buffet and quickly joined them.

“Where’ve you been?” Anton asked them in between bites of his pasta.

“Vicky sprained her ankle while we were working with the Horntails,” Charlie explained, sitting down across from him.

“Oh,” Anton said wisely, looking at Vicky. “We’ve all been there, my friend.”

Vicky rolled her eyes. Anton had been a trainee for a whole year already and often liked to lord his experience over the others.

“It’s not a big deal,” she mumbled. “Noah already fixed me, so I don’t see why we still have to talk about it.”

Charlie was the newest, fresh out of Hogwarts, so he had no idea how people usually dealt with injuries around here. But judging from the amount of scars and burn marks all the official dragon trainers had, it really wasn’t a big deal.

“Do you guys have plans for the weekend?” Vicky asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“I’ll be flooing home to Slovenia to see my parents,” Anton said. “They finally made a floo connection where you don’t have to stop over in two different countries!”

Charlie smiled. He’d only just seen his parents three weeks ago, but he couldn’t help hoping he’d be able to floo home soon too. Maybe for Christmas, if he could get a couple days off.

“I was thinking of exploring the city a bit more, improve my Romanian, go sightseeing…” said Sara, sitting next to Anton. “Do you guys want to come with?”

“Sure, that sounds great!” Charlie said with a grin. He hadn’t had a chance to explore yet, since he’d been so busy with all his introductory classes. He hadn’t even properly started on his language learning, which he really should be getting on with.

“Yeah, I think I’ll come along too,” Vicky said. “Just don’t be offended if I ditch you guys at any point; I might meet the girl from last week at the bar again.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Gross,” Anton wrinkled his nose in exaggerated disgust. “No one wants to hear about your exploits, Vicky.”

“Well, just cause you’re asexual doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t want any!” she shot back as the whole table laughed.

“Fair enough,” he retorted, grinning in amusement. He shook his head as he turned his attention back to his food.

Everyone else continued their conversations as if nothing had happened, like the world hadn’t just stopped in its tracks. Charlie sat there, stunned, his heart pounding in his throat as everyone around him kept talking and laughing.

Asexual. Asexual, asexual, asexual. Was that a real word? Did people actually identify that way? 

Charlie couldn’t stop thinking, his thoughts whirling around in his brain. There were other people like him. He wasn’t alone. If there was a word there must be a community, right? A history? How had he never heard of it before?

He remembered Tonks trying to research the magical LGBT community at Hogwarts after coming out as bi. She had spent hours in the library, trying to find books about witches and wizards like her, but hadn’t managed to find much. Much later, she had found out from her muggle friends that there were pride parades and things once a year, and protests and bars and a whole underground scene to explore. Charlie had been really excited for her, even joining her a couple of times. But he’d never imagined there’d be a place for people like  _ him  _ there.

Slowly, the stunned feeling faded away as a smile appeared on his face. His heart felt lighter. 

Asexual.

He wasn’t the only one, there were others who felt the exact same way! It felt like everything made sense, all of a sudden, like he understood things that he hadn’t even known he had been wondering about. 

Later, he’d ask Anton more questions. Ask for the definition, for more information. Maybe even tell him about his own experiences.

But for now, simply the knowledge that the word existed was enough. There were others. He even knew one of them. He wasn’t doomed forever. He wasn’t broken. 

Smiling, he shook his head and finished his pasta. After all, he still had a Hungarian Horntail to deal with later that afternoon.


	3. Family

_Christmas, 1991_

Charlie didn’t ever really get homesick. He supposed he could count himself lucky, in that sense. He had always felt comfortable wherever he was living, whether that was at the Burrow, or at Hogwarts, or at the Dragon Sanctuary.

Still, sometimes he missed his family. 

They had always been very close-knit, growing up, and he could imagine his mother getting lonely, now that even Ron was in school, and Bill and Charlie were both working abroad. 

Charlie tried his best to come home at least once a year, but sometimes it just wasn’t possible. That was why he was even more thankful that his parents were taking the time and money to visit him in Romania for the first time since he started working here, over two years ago.

He smiled fondly, remembering how he had shown his parents and sister around the sanctuary a few hours ago - how shocked his mum had been when he had shown her around the enclosures. She probably hadn’t let herself think about the exact details of his job before that. Still, it had been nice to introduce them to all of his friends and colleagues, and to show Ginny the Welsh Green dragon babies he’d been taking care of for the past few weeks. 

As he finished his nightly routine of checking on all the dragons, he made his way back to his hut. With a bit of effort, he’d managed to squeeze an double bed into his small spare room for his parents to stay for the few days they were visiting. He hoped that was alright for them - with his current salary, he hadn’t been able to afford a hotel room yet. 

He opened the door and smiled as he saw his parents on the sofa, quietly chatting. It was already quite late, and it seemed like Ginny was fast asleep on the mattress on the floor of Charlie’s room.

“Hello, love,” his mum said as he entered the room. 

“Hi,” Charlie said, careful to keep his voice down. He sat down next to them.

“This is a very nice place you have here,” his mum said. “Do you…” she frowned almost imperceptibly. “Do you always work this late?”

“Usually, yeah,” Charlie replied. “I mean that’s the advantage of living right by the sanctuary. I can always check up on them and can come help in an emergency.”

“Hmm,” Mum said, concern in her eyes. “Just make sure you get enough sleep, alright? Careful you don’t overwork yourself. Maybe you could have a little lie in tomorrow?”

Charlie looked away guiltily. “Maybe,” he said hesitantly, already thinking of the list of tasks he had to do tomorrow. It wasn’t like feeding the dragons breakfast was optional - the babies weren’t big enough to be skipping meals yet.

His dad’s eyes were twinkling. “Leave the poor boy alone, Molly,” he said bracingly. “I’m sure Charlie has good control over his sleeping routine. He’s been doing this for a couple of years already, remember?”

Molly tutted in response. “Fine,” she conceded. She looked back at Charlie, considering. “What about outside of work, though? You haven’t told us anything about your life yet. Surely it can’t all be work?”

“No,” Charlie said, laughing a little. His mum knew him too well. Growing up, he’d always been sociable and extraverted, constantly having friends over, and that hadn’t changed at Hogwarts or after leaving school.

“Well?” Molly asked, when it became clear he wasn’t going to elaborate. “Do you go out and spend time with your friends? Are you learning Romanian?” She perked up excitedly as a thought occurred to her. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Oh. There it was.

A lump formed in Charlie’s throat as the dreaded question came. He should have expected it, honestly.

He looked down, frowning a little, and tried to shake off this weird reaction. He blinked hard a couple of times, swallowed, and met his mum’s eyes again. “No, I’m not interested in dating anyone,” he said easily, with what he hoped was a natural looking smile. 

There was a bit of an awkward pause.

When it seemed like his mum was opening her mouth to argue, he quickly interrupted her.

“I am taking Romanian classes though,” he added, hoping to change the subject. 

His mum still looked concerned, but Charlie just wasn’t ready for this conversation. 

He turned to his dad, who started asking excited questions about Romanian. Charlie answered them the best that he could - even after two years, he was nowhere near perfect, after all - and breathed a sigh of relief as he forced his heart rate to calm down.

He had known for a long time that he wasn’t interested in anyone in that way. 

Several girls had asked him out over the years, but he’d always turned them down.

His friends had often been confused, asking him why he wasn’t more sad about being single. Why he didn’t make more of an effort to meet people. He’d never known what to say in response. The truth always seemed so cold and heartless: that he’d never actually fancied anyone.

Still, even now that he’d heard the label and accepted it, he wasn’t ready to tell people. Especially not his parents - at least, not yet. They were so excited to be grandparents one day. Logically, he knew that they had six other children who could give them grandchildren. He knew that there would be nothing wrong with him being the “cool uncle,” and that his parents would come around to the idea of him never having a romantic partner. 

He still held his tongue. Not yet. Maybe in a few years, when Ginny was grown up. Maybe.

Charlie bit his lip, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he noticed his parents staring at him. He hadn’t even realised they’d moved on from the Romanian language as a conversation topic.

“Are you alright?” Molly asked, head tilted in concern.

Charlie looked at his parents, feeling a rush of affection for them. He really was lucky to have such an amazing family. He would tell them one day, he promised himself. 

But for now, food. 

“I could really eat something,” Charlie said hopefully, smiling cheekily.

Molly smiled back, eyes warm. “Come on,” she said, getting up. “I think there’s still some pie left over from dinner.”

-

A couple days later, Charlie accompanied his family to the International Travel Floo Station in the city. 

He was sad to tell his parents and sister goodbye. He was very happy here, of course, but he would still miss them a lot. Not for the first time, he wondered if Bill was doing any better in Egypt. He hadn’t seen his older brother in almost a year now. They still wrote letters, of course, but it wasn’t the same.

His mum, walking next to him as Ginny and Arthur went on ahead, noticed his sigh and shot him a concerned glance. 

“Are you sure you’re happy here, Charlie?” she asked. “You’re welcome to come back to England anytime, you know. Do something less… dangerous?”

“No!” Charlie said, shocked that she would even suggest something like that. “I’m happy here, mum. I’ve always wanted to study dragons, you know that.”

“Yes, but…”

Charlie impatiently waited for her to continue, not wanting to interrupt.

“Surely you’d be much happier if you started to settle down sometime soon? Maybe with a nice girl? You know, your father and I got married straight out of Hogwarts.”

Charlie pressed his lips together. Watching Ginny run ahead, he felt a sudden rush of envy for her. It wasn’t that Charlie didn’t like the independence that came with adulthood, but it did invite a lot of questions like this one.

He realised too late that his mum had been waiting for a response.

“I’m not going to settle down with a nice girl someday, mum,” he tried to explain. Make her understand what he was saying.

She was frowning, and visibly hesitated before speaking. “If you wanted to settle down with a boy, that would be okay, too,” she said carefully, glancing at him. “Your father and I love you very much, and…”

Despite his strong discomfort at the conversation, Charlie could definitely appreciate how hard she was trying; it would have been really sweet in any other situation. But he couldn’t let her walk home with this false idea in her head.

“No, I don’t want to settle down with  _ anyone _ . I want to stay here, working with dragons. With my friends.”

She frowned again. “Well, if that’s what you want, I suppose there’s really nothing I can do to change your mind,” she said after a short pause.

He smiled a little. “Thanks, mum.”

They continued walking in silence.

Honestly, Charlie was happy with the way this conversation turned out.

He could tell she still didn’t understand. But maybe that was okay. After all, he had needed time to understand too so the least he could do was be patient for her. And if he needed to repeat himself a few times until the message sank in, then that’s what he would do.


	4. Friendship

_May, 1993_

Tonks grinned at Charlie from her chair as he made his way over to her, careful not to drop the precariously stacked ice cream he was holding.

“Did you honestly have to order four scoops, Tonks?” he groaned, collapsing into his seat.

“How else do you expect me to test every flavour Fortescue sells?” she said, turning her hair red in challenge.

“Fair point,” he conceded. Still, he shook his head in disbelief as he watched Tonks attack her enormous tower of ice cream.

Feeling inspired by her enthusiasm, he picked up his own spoon and went for it too. He had always been bad at backing down from a challenge, even though he had clearly already lost this race.

“How’ve you been?” Tonks asked between mouthfuls, looking up. “We haven’t seen each other in ages; I missed you! Romania is too far away...” she pouted exaggeratedly.

Charlie smiled sadly. “I missed you too.” He pouted back.

“But I’ve been pretty good,” he told her. “The Norwegian Ridgebacks have all hatched safely.” He paused to take another spoonful. “Oh, that reminds me! Did I ever tell you the story about the dragon Hagrid hatched in his cottage a year ago?”

“No?” Tonks said, immediately sitting up in interest. “How’d he even get a dragon? What did he do with it?”

“He won it off some guy in a pub!” Charlie laughed. “I have no idea how he even met this person, but apparently he had a dragon egg by the end of it. And you know what the best part is? He hatched in his hut - by himself!”

“What?” Tonks snorted. “I mean, good for Hagrid, honestly! He _has_ always wanted a dragon.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But somehow my little brother Ron got involved? And he sent me this letter, like, ‘Hey Charlie, Hagrid has an illegal Norwegian Ridgeback baby in his hut, could you please come pick it up?’ So I sent some friends over, and he’s in our colony now.” 

“Wow.” Tonks’ eyes were wide. “And here I was, thinking Auror training was interesting! How does your family always get involved in stuff like this?”

Charlie let out a big sigh, shaking his head in amusement. “I have no idea.”

There was a brief silence as they grinned at each other and turned their attention back to the ice cream.

“Anyway, enough about me, how’ve you been?” Charlie asked.

“Pretty good!” she said, smiling. “Auror training has been really hard, though. Moody’s just constantly annoyed by the amount of times I trip in the obstacle course.”

“Ooh,” Charlie winced in sympathy. “I bet you’re brilliant at the camouflage and disguise classes though!”

“That’s true!” she laughed, quickly changing her hair to a dull brown and back to pink again. “And all the other trainees are pretty great.” She paused, as if debating whether she should keep talking. “I’ve actually made a lot of queer friends, specifically.” she said. “Not just in the Auror Department, but all through the Ministry. And my girlfriend and I started this kind of... club?”

Charlie looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Like… you remember how I kept saying back at Hogwarts that there needed to be more resources for queer kids? I mean, I’ve known I was bi forever, but I never knew anyone else who was out. And it’s really cool how easy it is to find people now that we’re older.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, smiling uncertainly.

She looked at him with warm eyes, uncharacteristically cautious, tilting her head.

He had a feeling she was waiting for something. His stomach tightened. He had never come out to her officially, but he’d always had the feeling that she knew somehow. He still cringed at the memory of her asking him out back at Hogwarts and him having to awkwardly turn her down. 

_Well,_ he thought, _no time like the present._

“Tonks?” he said quietly. “I feel like you know this already, but I guess there’s no harm in telling you.” 

He took a deep breath.

“I’m ace.”

She smiled brightly. “Thanks for telling me,” she said warmly. “That’s amazing!”

He grinned back, and exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tonks asked, eating more ice cream. “Like, what does that mean for you?”

“There’s not that much to say, honestly,” Charlie shrugged. “I’ve never actually told anyone before.”

“Oh,” Tonks said, eyes wide.

“I’ve just always felt a bit weird? Like everyone else was going crazy around me while I was the only normal one.”

Tonks laughed.

“I mean, I’ve never had a crush on anyone, or just been interested in anyone in general, sexually or romantically, and it took me a long time to figure out why. So mostly I’m just… really happy that I have this word now.”

“I can imagine,” Tonks said, still smiling. “I felt the same way about the word bi. It’s just so cool to find a community, you know?”

“Yes!” Charlie said. “Especially when you’ve spent your entire life being told that the way you feel doesn’t exist.”

Tonks nodded energetically. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, both smiling at their ice cream.

Suddenly, Tonks started giggling.

“...What?” Charlie asked, not sure if he should be scared of whatever was coming.

“Hey, remember when I asked you out?” she snorted. “What was it, like fifth or sixth year?”

“Yes!” he said, eyes lighting up in amusement. “I felt so awkward, I thought I’d have to break your heart or something!”

Tonks shook her head at herself. “I’m so sorry,” she said, still laughing. “I don’t know what I was thinking, honestly. It wasn’t even like I had a crush on you!”

Charlie narrowed his eyes jokingly. “Should I be offended?”

“I think I was way too confused about my own sexuality at that point to even think straight,” she said.

“Yeah,” Charlie said. He could understand that very well.

After a couple seconds, he snorted as a thought occurred to him. “I don’t think you were ever thinking straight,” he said through his laughter.

Tonks stared at him in annoyance before laughing too. “Stop, I’m still trying to eat here!”

They both fell into a comfortable silence again.

“We were both pretty stupid, weren’t we?” Charlie said.

Tonks nodded. “Well, we both got there in the end, right?”

“Yeah. We did.”


	5. Warmth

_May, 2017_

Charlie walked up to Hogwarts with a sad smile on his face.

These days, he only saw the castle once a year, for the annual Memorial Day. He could already see the chairs set up around the podium in front of Dumbledore’s grave. The sky was a clear blue, and all the students were already milling around outside, enjoying the sun before the service started.

His siblings and their partners were all already there. He could recognise Ginny’s laughter anywhere. 

“Uncle Charlie!” he heard a scream as a small child ran down the path towards him. Charlie laughed and knelt down to catch Lily in his arms.

“Hi Lily,” he said, letting go to get a proper look at her. 

“I haven’t seen you in ages!” she admonished him.

“I know,” Charlie told her, a little sad. “It’s been way too long, hasn’t it?”

“Come on,” she said, already running back toward the castle.

He followed her to where the rest of their family was waiting. “Hey guys,” he said as he reached them.

His mum spun around to see who was talking. “Oh,” she said, a hand to her chest. “Charlie!”

“Hi mum,” he said, smiling as she pulled him into a hug.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now,” he said. “Lily ran down to greet me before I’d even gotten halfway up the hill!”

Molly shook her head fondly. “I wish I had even half of that girl’s energy.”

She smiled a little sadly and turned back to the Memorial Stone.

His brothers opened the circle to make room for him so that they were all facing the stone. As every year, Charlie silently read the names of the fallen. 

_Colin Creevey, Severus Snape._

_Remus Lupin._

_Nymphadora Tonks._

_Fred Weasley._

And so many more.

Charlie swallowed harshly. Even after 19 years, it still hurt to look at the names. 

“Come on,” Ron said, pulling him towards the chairs. “The ceremony’s about to start.”

As they all found their seats and settled down, Hermione and Harry broke away from the group and started walking towards the podium to stand next to McGonagall.

McGonagall pulled out her wand for a Sonorus Charm, and started her speech.

“Dear students, friends, and esteemed guests. I would like to thank you all for coming here, to our annual memorial ceremony.”

As she kept talking, Charlie let his gaze drift over the crowd. There was Hagrid, in a magically enlarged chair, already pulling out a handkerchief. All the students were sitting behind them in no particular seating order, all the houses mixed together. Charlie found Victoire five rows behind him, and smiled at her in greeting. She smiled back, looking serious. He couldn’t imagine it was easy, celebrating her seventeenth birthday like this.

McGonagall finished her speech. “I would like you all to join me in welcoming Hermione Granger-Weasley, Minister for Magic.”

The crowd erupted in applause, Ron clapping loudest of them all, a proud expression on his face. Even Charlie felt a vague sense of pride at all of Hermione’s hard work. She really deserved this moment. 

“Thank you so much, Professor,” Hermione said as the crowd quietened. She briefly looked down at her notes, and then turned to the audience, a fierce and determined expression on her face. “This is an important day for all of us,” she said. “Nineteen years ago today, unspeakable horrors happened on the ground where we are now. We lost friends and family members.”

Hermione kept talking for a while, about hope, about unity, about bravery and kindness and wit and ambition. Everyone listened attentively, not taking their eyes off her.

Then she pulled out a list, and read out the names of all the people who had died in the battle. 

Charlie swallowed harshly, his eyes filling with tears. Losing Fred and Tonks had torn a hole in him that still hadn’t healed.

He looked around the crowd again. The students were listening with sombre expressions, and his mum was silently weeping with his dad’s arm around her shoulders.

Andromeda and Teddy were sitting a few seats away. Teddy noticed him looking and smiled back, not letting go of his grandmother’s hand.

Hermione came to the end of her speech.

“Memory has power. If we allow ourselves to forget, to allow time to bury our memories, we make it possible for the ideas that caused this war to resurface. Say the names of the fallen. Talk about them, their lives, their stories. Never forget what happened here, so that it can never happen again.”

-

After the ceremony was over, the people all dispersed slowly, but some lingered around the memorial stone, talking quietly. There were no classes today. Kingsley Shacklebolt had made the second of May a public holiday shortly after becoming minister.

Charlie and his family were all standing together by the beech tree, catching up.

He turned to Hermione, standing with Ron, Harry and Ginny.

“Hi,” he said, pulling Ginny into a hug. He smiled at Hermione. “That was really a great speech, well done!”

She smiled back. “Thank you.” She tilted her head a little. “How’ve you been? Are you back in England for long?”

“Just a week or so,” Charlie explained. “After that, I’m needed back in Romania to prepare for the new trainees coming.”

She nodded in understanding, and was distracted by Ron who wanted her opinion on an argument going on between him and Ginny.

Charlie left the four of them to their conversation and turned to Bill and Fleur, who were watching Victoire, Louis and Dominique, still chatting with their friends.

“We are doing something for Vic’s birthday, right?” Charlie asked Bill. “I mean, she’s turning seventeen today, it’s a big day.”

“I think Molly’s already taking care of that,” Bill grinned. Charlie turned around, and sure enough, Molly was arguing with McGonagall, who kept shaking her head.

“But Minera, surely you can allow them to come to the Burrow for just a few hours,” his mum was saying. “It’s a holiday, so they’re not missing any classes! Don’t you trust me to take care of them?”

McGonagall sighed, clearly annoyed. “Very well, Molly. But _only_ for the afternoon. They’re to be back at Hogwarts in time for dinner.”

His mum grinned triumphantly. “Of course, of course. We have the floo network set up.”

“And all of the students must get permission from their heads of house.”

“Yes, yes,” his mum said breezily.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes disapprovingly, but didn’t say anything.

Charlie rolled his eyes and shared a glance of amusement with Bill. His mum really could get her way with anything.

“I get you’d better bring the news to your kids,” he said, grinning. “I’m sure Flitwick and Neville won’t have a problem with it, right?”

“Probably not, you’re right,” Bill said, laughing. He raised his hand in a salute before leaving to talk to the kids.

While they all organised things for the birthday party, Charlie went over to catch up with Hagrid, getting caught up in a fascinating conversation about fire salamanders. They talked for so long that by the time they were finished, Charlie realised he was one of the last ones to leave.

He walked to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ginny and their children, chatting with an excited Lily and Albus.

“Grandma says she made a cake!” Albus told him while Lily nodded. James, being an old and mature second-year, tried to contain his excitement, but still looked very happy at the prospect of cake.

Once they all arrived in Hogsmeade, Ginny and Harry left with their kids to floo to the Burrow while Charlie apparated.

He’d missed Molly’s cooking. Lily was right, he really wasn’t visiting enough.

As he entered the Burrow, Charlie saw that he really had been the last person to arrive. All his siblings and their families were there, even Teddy and Andromeda and some of Victoire’s friends. He greeted everyone warmly, walking around the room hugging all his siblings and nieces and nephews. 

“Happy birthday, Victoire!” he said as he reached her.

She smiled brightly, flicking her long silver-blond hair over one shoulder. “Thank you!”

“Have you tried any legal magic yet?”

“I tried accioing my shoes this morning, which didn’t quite work,” she said, laughing a little.

Charlie laughed as a memory came back to him. “I tried the same thing when I was seventeen,” he told her. “It might just be a rite of passage, honestly.”

He left her to talk with her friends and went into the kitchen where Molly and Fleur were working on the finishing touches of the cake.

“Oh wow, Mum, that smells amazing!” he said as a greeting.

“Thank you, dear,” she said, a little flustered. “It’s nearly finished, just needs a couple more seconds.”

“Can I help?” Charlie asked.

She smiled gratefully. “Sure, you can make sure the table is set and everything’s ready.”

“Alright,” he said, getting to work. Once everything looked perfect, and all the guest were seated round the long table, Molly and Fleur came out each carrying one side of the enormous cake. Vic’s eyes were wide in shock. Everyone started singing “Happy Birthday” in a slightly different key and clapped when she blew out all the candles in one go.

“Open the presents now!” Hugo said loudly, making everyone laugh.

Victoire eagerly obeyed, and went to work of the pile in front of her.

As Charlie looked around the table, laughing along with everyone, he felt a warm rush of fondness for all of them. Sure, not everything was perfect, and Fred and Tonks would never be part of the chaos again, but that was the way life worked. And George was here, making quips, and Teddy was looking at Victoire with adoration in his eyes, and Tonks and Fred and everyone else would keep living in their memories, and they were all okay.

And he was okay too. He hadn’t even noticed until now that the entire day, no one had even mentioned a possible partner to him. He smiled as he realised this, feeling strangely touched. He’d always said they’d just need time to come to terms with it.

And there were far more important things to worry about anyway. For example like the enormous plate of cake in front of him.


End file.
